Albany man admits to deadly Thanksgiving shooting of Troy man

ALBANY, N.Y. >> An Albany man admitted Thursday morning to gunning down a Troy resident inside an Albany bar early on Thanksgiving Day last year.

The Albany County District Attorney’s Office said Kareem Blacknall, 31, pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court to a felony count of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Wendell Hill, 26, of Troy, inside Rocks, a nightclub on Central Avenue. In return for his plea, the DA’s office said Blacknall is expected to be sentenced Dec. 7 by Judge Thomas Breslin to as much as 25 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

Authorities said Hill was gunned down about 2 a.m. Nov. 24, while three other people were wounded as they stood near Hill, though none sustained life-threatening injuries. Police said at the time that Hill and Blacknall knew each other and that Hill was the intended target.

Blacknall was initially indicted on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment and was also charged with third-degree attempted escape after he tried to flee from a police car near South Pearl and Herkimer streets after being taken into custody Dec. 2 in an unreleated case.